He said: “The risks are huge as elephants often climb in for a mud bath. But the rewards are great.”

Lying in the water and watching the first herd approach, Greg confessed that he had a lump in his throat, but soon enough the elephants were right in front of him, drinking directly out of the watering hole.

He said: “So close in fact, that I could have reached out and touched them! The waterhole is the size of a domestic swimming pool and full of mud and with just my head and hands above the water, I went to work documenting various herds as they came in to drink.”

From 2014-2017, using a wide-angled camera lens, Greg was able to capture every little detail as the elephants roamed freely, allowing him to feel like he was a part of each elephant herd.

The muddy hole – which was originally made by a bomb during the Vietnam war – has been widened by farmers to store water over the years.

When the local villagers realised the elephants had become stuck, they rushed to the rescue, using vegetation and ropes to help free them.

When this didn’t work, the locals notified the Department of Environment, who in turn notified the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and were able to set the elephants free from the mud-filled death trap.

The elephants had gone to drink and bathe in the water collected in an old bomb crater in Cambodia

Once free, the herd ran off into the bush.

Speaking on the dramatic rescue, Tan Setha, a local WCS technical adviser, said: “This herd consisted of three adult females and eight juveniles of various ages, including a male that had almost reached maturity.

“These elephants represent an important part of the breeding population in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, and their loss would have been a major blow to conservation.”